"60 tons of fun. A heavily-armored battle tank with a 1,500hp turbine engine and a 120mm cannon, the Rhino delivers a hell of a lot of bang for your buck. Much like its namesake, the Rhino is slow on the turn, surprisingly fast on the charge, and generally terrifying to anyone in the vicinity. One of the few vehicles still manufactured in America. Great for doomsday preppers."

Contents

Description

Like its predecessor in Grand Theft Auto 2, the Rhino appears when the player attains a six star wanted rating. In all games, the Rhino can be avoided without much difficulty because of its slow speed and bad handling, but it's extremely deadly if the player attempts engaging one, and the soldier driving it always carries strong weapons. Also, when successfully stolen, authorities can bust the player due to the Rhino's slow speed. When it hits a vehicle, the vehicle most of the time explodes straight away; if not, it starts to burn instead, in Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars however, this does not happen. Although the Rhino has a cannon it is never used by law enforcement, this however is changed in GTA Chinatown Wars as the Army will fire the cannon which causes massive damage to, and usually kills, the player. The Rhino is practically invincible to small arms fire and crashes; and only Satchel Charges, Dozens of other explosives and rockets and the Police Maverick's mounted gun can cause damage to it. Also, flame weapons (such as the molotov cocktails and flamethrower) can also be used to inflict damage. Note that it is also possible to destroy a tank with conventional ordnance, but it will take very long to destroy one. In GTA Liberty City Stories, if you can get the Rhino up and onto the tracks of the subway or the El-Train, the subway train or the El-Train will destroy the tank on impact.

In GTA: San Andreas and GTA: Liberty City Stories, it's possible to carjack a Rhino and even store one in a safehouse garage. Vice City Stories removes the ability to carjack the Rhino and unlike the other games where a Rhino spawn point is found, the tank is locked until a certain mission is completed (and even then the PS2 version of the game keeps the Rhino locked).

Design

In GTA III, GTA Vice City, GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories, the Rhino does not appear to be based off of any real life military vehicle. However in the front, does bear ressemblance to the 6 wheeled M93 Fox reconassaince vehicle, while the sides belongs to Panhard ERC 90. However its features also resemble the seemingly original but chunky design reminiscent of a modified M3 Stuart, but with a front that more closely resembles that of an M4 Sherman. Its weapon configuration and chassis is also close to an LAV-600. Because of it's heavy construction, with doors on both sides that can be easily damaged with even the slightest hit, and a truck-style 3-axle drivetrain with easily seen wheels, The turret can only be rotated by pressing buttons, which makes precise shooting almost impossible.

In its original appearance in GTA III, the Rhino assumes a stark appearance with little detail on its armored body. The GTA Vice City rendition, however, saw the addition of a variety of equipment to the vehicle, as well as the enlargement of the turret's barrel. While the GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories variants follow the design cues of the GTA III and GTA Vice City renditions, with the turret barrel of GTA Liberty Stories rendition even being of the same size and length as that in GTA Vice City, though the GTA Vice City Stories variant is even longer.

In GTA San Andreas, the Rhino looks like an M1 Abrams and it is much more realistic than its predecessors. It is colored beige (desert camouflage), has a normal tank entrance in front and a new drive-train with smaller and more plentiful wheels, leading to even more of an increase in it's realism. It also has a new steering system, which finally allows the player to make very tight turns. The turret is operated with the mouse or right thumb-stick (PlayStation 2), which allows the player to shoot directly at the target; however, this does mean the Rhino can no longer simply fire backwards to deter pursuit while the camera still faces forwards for steering. The Rhino in GTA San Andreas is also heavy enough to literally push aircraft, making a Rhino an ideal vehicle to push the destroyed Andromada from "Stowaway".

Interestingly enough, none of the pre-GTA IV versions have caterpillar tracks, unlike their real world counterparts; this is likely due to tracks being too complex for the game's engine to render. In one of GTA IV's DLCs, The Lost and Damned, the text files for a Rhino tank are included, even though it never appears in game.

The Rhino does not appear in Grand Theft Auto IV; this is assumed to be because of Rockstar's goal of making GTA IV more realistic than previous games. However, it is replaced with the APC in The Ballad of Gay Tony and GTA Chinatown Wars reintroduces the Rhino with an appearance similar to the M7 Priest . The GTA Chinatown Wars' Rhino bears the distinction of being the first Rhino to ever be depicted as having tracks.

The Rhino returns in Grand Theft Auto V, resembling the German Leopard 2A3, and like GTA Chinatown Wars, is depicted as having tracks, making it overall the most realistic rendition of the vehicle in the series despite being modelled after a Non-American Military vehicle. It has a tank cannon and a unusabe MG. Like the SA model, there is a hatch to the driver, but in the left side of the tank. The turret is again controlled by the right thumb-stick with more accuracy than before, enabling it to turn really quicky or aim at pursuing helicopters above.

Performance and durability

First Rhino (GTA III/Vice City)

Second Rhino (GTA San Andreas)

Third Rhino (GTA V)

Color

Green camouflage

Beige camouflage

Desert camouflage

Handling

Handling of this tank is terrible. Even at low speeds its turns are horribly wide. Unlike the normal tank it has very poor acceleration, when maximum speed is normal for this kind of tank. It has a working handbrake, but because of its wide turning radius and dual rear axles it is difficult to tighten turns with it. Tank is quite bouncy, so its wheels easily lose contact with ground. Its small ground clearance, bouncy suspension and low torque makes this tank very poor when driving off-road, or even through small barriers.

This tank has 2 steering modes: normal allows it to make turns a little better than trucks, and extra, activated with handbrake button, allows to make extra tight turns. It has little better off-road abilities, but it is still far from perfect. It has better acceleration and grip, but it still cannot go through high obstacles. It handles better on road. The turret now points to where the player's camera is pointed, making it difficult to aim in some circumstances. It has no lights or sirens.

The handling of this tank while not perfect, handles fairly well and is good at driving off road, though it's tracks make it easy to get stuck in some places and it's turret also has collision detection with obstacles which can get it stuck while turning it. The view of the tank is far zoomed out to give the player better accuracy while firing at things. It is also much better at blowing up above aircraft like police helicopters.

Tricks

The player is able to reach high speeds by rotating the turret towards the rear of the tank and start shooting. The recoil from the cannon will propel the Tank forwards, and vice versa.

If the Tank hits a normal vehicle with a light amount of force, the vehicle will explode.

Because of its slow speed and presence of doors, the player can be easily busted by a police officer, or any other lawman. It is even more hazardous when the doors are missing.

The tank is completely impervious to explosives, but not flameproof.

In GTA VCS, If a Rhino is set on fire with a molotov or flamethrower, the people driving it will jump out. they will then either catch on fire like the tank, or they will get out and shoot the player.

The player can still use the turret trick to accelerate, however, because of the camera in San Andreas, the player cannot see anything in front of him while the cannon is aimed rearward. To get around this problem, switch to First-Person view or Cinematic view camera once the cannon is aimed rearward.

Damage caused to other vehicles is determined by the amount of force actually used: slight touches only push other vehicles, harder hits causes a vehicle smoke or set in on fire, and the hardest hits instantly destroys a vehicle.

Because of the more realistic access hatch, it is more difficult for the player to get busted.

Colliding with other tanks damages the player's tank.

The tank is not immune to flames; and getting it upside down will also result in the tank exploding.

To prevent the tank from catching fire and exploding, it is best to stay away from explosions and turret shots as far as possible, as too much can cause the tank to lose damage. This can also be caused by crushing and blowing up vehicles.

In GTA III and GTA Vice City, the Rhino is bullet-proof and explosion-proof and as such it is immune to all weapons except the flamethrower and molotovs. In GTA San Andreas, the Rhino is still a tough vehicle, however, after colliding several times with other tanks, it will start smoking and explode. While driving the Rhino, one should be careful not to drive through the flames left behind by vehicles that have exploded, as these will set the Rhino on fire doing massive damage and usually destroying it. In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the Rhino is immune to bullets but can still be destroyed by fire and about 10-15 hits from another Rhino's cannon or explosives.

Due to the introduction of treads for GTA Chinatown War's Rhino, the tank gains another a minor advantage in that it can turn while in a stationary position. The durability of the game's Rhino, however, is turned down a notch, being more vulnerable to explosive damage than previous renditions; a pristine Rhino will begin burning as a whole after receiving seven direct hits from a Rocket Launcher or another Rhino's turret.

While GTA V's Rhino is still very powerful, is not completely indestructible and can be destroyed if it gets caught near too many explosions or if one of the tracks gets caught on fire, which is a fairly rare occurrence. Large amounts of smoke coming out the back engine is a sign that the Rhino is losing power, and can be avoided more by staying away from fire and explosions as much as possible. The tracks allow it to turn reasonable well, though the tires can sometimes be shot out which can make it's handling more difficult.

Missions

In the tank, the player can perform vigilante missions, which means catching and killing suspects. The Rhino isn't necessarily the best vehicle to do this mission (especially not in games where the Hunter is available) because the player risks increasing his own wanted level at an accelerated rate due to the tank's penchant for collateral damage. On the other hand, if the player cannot complete the missions with the other, comparatively flimsy police vehicles, the Rhino might be better. If the player can intercept the enemy vehicles, rather than chasing them, the player may be able to strike the targets with the tank instead of firing on them. This method cuts down on the wanted level the player receives, which may help him avoid having to fight the military on some occasions.

In GTA Vice City, there is a mission in which the player has to steal a tank, Sir, Yes Sir!. Its doors are closed, so the player needs to wait until the driver hops out to buy some doughnuts, or kill the soldier on top of the tank. This tank has a self-destruct mechanism which the player must disable before it destroys the tank. In GTA Liberty City Stories, during the mission "Shogun Showdown", the Yakuza are storing weapons in a warehouse and along with that Toni Cipriani finds a Rhino which he later destroys by detonating it with a bomb. In GTA Chinatown Wars, during the mission Deadly Xin, Xin Shan has the player use a NOOSE Rhino parked at Francis International Airport to create havoc, diverting the police from his own machinations.

In GTA: San Andreas and GTA: Liberty City Stories, the player can use the Rhino to complete the Vigilante side-mission. Given its near-indestructibility and ability to destroy vehicles on contact, it is considered the easiest vehicle with which to complete the mission, even taking into account its slow speed.

GTA Liberty City Stories

GTA Vice City Stories

Inside the Fort Baxter military base, it is there from the beginning of the game but unlocked only when the mission Over The Top is done. This also applies to Rhinos that spawn under a 6-star wanted level; they are only unlocked after Over The Top. Note: this does not seem to apply to the original PS2 version of the game as the Rhinos remain inaccessible, even after completing Over the Top, but in the double pack version, the Rhinos are almost always unlocked.

Driven by the army whan the player gets a 6 star wanted level. Like all other games in the 3D Universe, its hard to get without cheats(Or 100% completion(you can get a Rhino after Over the Top as said in the previous note, But to get a Rhino from the military with a wanted level you need to know the Rhino sniping trick(same as the Helicopter sniping trick))).

GTA Chinatown Wars

Available for purchase from the Auto Merchant when the main story is complete, at $10000.

Can be found in a fenced-off warehouse area at the southern end of Francis International Airport; activates Fast Tracks. Players will warp outside a parked Rhino at the starting point regardless of whether or not the player completes or fails the mission (Note: To be used normally, the Rhino must be entered, before the player quits the side mission and reenter the Rhino quickly, or start a Vigilante or taxi mission and entering the Rhino).

Driven by military when the player gets a 6 star wanted level.

GTA V

Can be found at Fort Zancudo. The military will use Rhinos to shoot at the player once inside the base.

In real life, a battle tank was used only a few times in history for law enforcement functions in the United States, most notably the 1993 siege in Waco, TX. Like in the Waco siege, the military in the 3D Universe did not use the tanks cannon.

Sometimes a glitch occurs in GTA San Andreas, where the player is flying and has full six stars, an NPC-controlled Rhino may randomly jump up in the sky and be spinning around very fast.

Low-detailed LOD models of the Rhino in GTA San Andreas appear to assume a design more similar to older Rhinos. This difference is apparent when the player views one of the tanks from afar.

The Rhinos in both GTA San Andreas and GTA Vice City fire rounds similar to air burst rounds. The main differences are the way the rounds will explode on contact but if fired into the air they will detonate in mid air.

Despite its size, it is possible to successfully park (and therefore save) the Rhino inside the Johnson House garage in GTA San Andreas, and possibly others.

A glitch that involves one of the health cheats in San Andreas creates a whole new axle dead center in the drive train. (confirmed in the PS2 version)

Sometimes in GTA Vice City, GTA Liberty City Stories and GTA Vice City Stories when you use a cheat to spawn a Rhino while standing on the road it will sometimes spawn on top of you and trap the protagonist inside the Rhino. The only way to get out the Rhino is to suicide or reload a save file, but no damage is dealt on the player.

In GTA V, the Rhino has a desert camouflage pattern instead of the traditional plain green or beige, making it the most colorful, yet realistic in the series.

In Grand Theft Auto V the Rhino is best used when at an open environment such as an airport.

The Rhino is the strongest vehicle in Grand Theft Auto V and offers a lot of protection against explosive weapons.

The Rhino may be tough but it does have its limits. If using the Rhino's main gun make sure to aim away from the ground as firing too close to the Rhino could cause it to explode.

The Rhino in Grand Theft Auto V can run over and crush small cars, resulting in it exploding under The Rhino. The player should be cautious about this as driving over many small cars may cause The Rhino itself to explode.

The grenade launcher in-game appears to fire fragmentation rounds, which in reality would have little to no effect against tank armor, making the six grenades it takes to set the tank aflame highly unrealistic; this is probably done for balancing purposes.

The description says that the tank is one of the few vehicles still made in America, when the tank itself is actually based on a German vehicle.

The Rhino Tank made an appearance in C&C: Red Alert 2 and its expansion (Yuri's Revenge), used by the Soviets.

The Rhino in Grand Theft Auto V is the fastest Rhino in the series, going a little below a Sanchez.

Like its GTA: San Andreas predecessor, it fires air burst rounds which explode mid air after a short period of time if they do not hit a solid object.